Agriculture

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Topics will include new tools in fencing, building paddocks, fence laws and more

A Fencing and Grazing Clinic, organized and hosted by the Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is set for September 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the David Burmahl Farm, north of Baldwin and northwest of Maquoketa. The Burmahl Farm’s address is 15276 50th Avenue, Baldwin, IA. The event is being planned by Beth Reynolds, extension program specialist with the Iowa Beef Center, and Denise Schwab, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Annual Forages for Grazing
by Jacob Hawes, Area Grazing Specialist
If producers are looking to improve the soil health on their farm or a way to extend the grazing season and reduce reliance on stored feed, there may be a new cost-share opportunity available with NRCS. A new conservation practice has been created to introduce annual forages into grazing systems and help producers supplement existing forages. For producers interested, NRCS will develop a plan to seed a multispecies mix of annual forages to be grazed by livestock or harvested for later feeding. This practice could be used in conjunction with other conservation practices in a soil health plan or grazing system.

On-farm nitrogen rate trial research and nutrient management will be featured at four field days across Iowa in August and September as part of the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative’s summer 2023 Field Day Series.

The INI, which is a partnership between Iowa State University, agricultural service providers and Iowa farmers, leverages the latest advances in precision agriculture and cropping systems modeling to improve nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Iowa farmers. The project is farmer-focused and provides farmers with information that they can use to improve productivity, profitability and environmental performance on Iowa farms.

The Annual Fall Field Day at the ISU Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm will begin at 12 p.m. with a complimentary meal, sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association, and run until 4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 31. At 1 p.m., Sotirios Archontoulis, Iowa State University associate professor of agronomy, will provide his insights on what the effects of drought and smoke have on corn and soybean. Lee Burras, Iowa State University Morrill professor of agronomy, will discuss how the soil profile affects rooting depth and yield by the utilization of a soil pit. Company representatives from Bayer® and Pioneer® Hybrids, will provide updates and management considerations on short stature corn. Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University extension entomologist, will give a corn rootworm research and management update.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season ended August 1, so contract-holders can complete and maintenance on CRP without prior approval from their FSA office. Please remember that cosmetic mowing of your CRP acres is always prohibited, as are the establishment of trails through your acres.Temporary deer stands are only allowed during the hunting season and must be removed immediately once the season is over.  Volunteer trees and woody vegetation must be controlled and removed from CRP acres. Failure to control undesirable vegetation on CRP can result in financial penalties.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season

Late Summer Pasture Seeding
by Jacob Hawes, NRCS Area Grazing Specialist
The late summer seeding window begins in August for pasture and hay plantings, and although it is not as popular as the spring seeding option, it can still be a great opportunity to get cool season pastures established this year. There are several advantages to seeding late summer versus the spring, that may ease some apprehensions about seeding during this timeframe.

Ticks, and the pathogens they carry, can pose a serious risk to human health. As the weather warms and Iowans spend more time outside, the risk of tick diseases can be lowered by avoiding ticks, checking for tick hitchhikers upon returning indoors, and removing any attached ticks promptly and effectively.

More than a dozen species of ticks can be found in Iowa, according to Laura Iles, director and extension plant pathologist with the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center. However, the three most common species are the blacklegged or deer tick, the American dog or wood tick and the lone star tick. All three species can transmit bacteria that cause disease, but only the blacklegged tick transmits Lyme disease, making it a species of particular concern.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season

CRP Reminders
The primary nesting season runs from May 15 – August 1. Please contact the FSA office if you need to perform spot maintenance activities on your CRP acres during this time.  Cosmetic mowing of your CRP acres is always prohibited, but you can spot treat areas that are threatened by undesirable vegetation throughout the year. A written request must be made before the County Committee grants approval to conduct maintenance during the nesting season. As a reminder, volunteer trees and woody vegetation must be controlled and removed from CRP acres. Failure to control undesirable vegetation on CRP can result in financial penalties.

Hear from farmers and equipment representatives familiar with strip-till

Farmers will have an opportunity to see various strip-till bars in action at a field day farm near Renwick, Thursday, August 10. Iowa continues to see an increasing number of acres of strip-tillage each year.

“The goal of this field day is to increase awareness of strip-tillage as a conservation practice to help reduce erosion, improve soil health, protect water quality and complement cover-cropping systems,” said Angie Rieck-Hinz, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Attendees have the opportunity to visit with several strip-till equipment representatives and see strip-till bars running on cornstalk (sweet corn) residue as well as visit with farmers who have been using strip-till for many years.